


Don't leave me alone anymore

by NaraMerald



Category: AOA | Ace of Angels, T.M. Revolution
Genre: Ai wo chodai, Gen, Like one of my fave songs ever EVER, MV AU, My Karaoke Jam, Racing, Street Racing, T.M. Revolution - Freeform, TM Revolution is so cool, 愛をちょうだい
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-09 23:32:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7821553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaraMerald/pseuds/NaraMerald
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But, Choa grins rather ruefully, not for the first time, it’s her being left in the dust.<br/>[愛をちょうだい MV AU]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't leave me alone anymore

**Author's Note:**

> Note: No pairings, but this can be interpreted as Choa x Seolhyun friendship or more. Warning- Characters are taken from the 愛をちょうだい MV and do not reflect actual AOA. I’ve taken a lot of liberty with a relatively minor plot! Happy for feedback on characters or AOA.
> 
> MV is here if you haven't seen it! (So cool!)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gzadsYCB7c

It’s been years since she picked up her life and followed the team (followed her dream) to Japan and Choa thought she’d gotten over this feeling of _not fitting in_. But here she is, on the outer, in a place she’s never been alienated, and she doesn’t like it one bit. The garage is filled with warm yellow light reflecting off of their rides, Jimin and Mina distractedly discussing parts for future races, waiting to speak to him. Their team has become his team, and Seolhyun is the star. Choa is but a backup, replaceable, faceless to him. Not deliberately of course, he’d never be so rude. But Seolhyun is his focus, will always be his focus. 

Everything has changed, now that _the_ Nishikawa is back, and Choa feels the ground that was previously solid shuddering apart underneath her. She knew before she joined the team that Nishikawa was the real Ace, with Seolhyun and Jimin idolizing the famous racer. Hell, even long after he was gone, they’d talk about him with stars in their eyes, Seolhyun’s hand on his necklace… the one he left with her, before he left everyone. 

Choa sighs quietly to herself, hand gripping her cold beer as the condensation slides down the bottle in the balmy night. She hates Japanese summers as much as she hates Korean summers. She switches her focus from looking out of the window at the sky, and watches him, across from Seolhyun, grinning warmly as he gestures to her about something.

Choa was curious before, who wouldn’t be. Everyone on the racing scene knew about the number one racer who disappeared overnight. There were rumours of course, but the look in Seolhyun’s eyes when anyone questioned her… Choa learnt it was best to wonder quietly on her own. Even Jimin became snappish, because for Seolhyun and Jimin, it was more than just a tale, he was more than a faceless character. Before Seolhyun and Jimin were ever old enough to get near the tracks themselves, they followed Nishikawa, and for some reason, he permitted it. Nishikawa was the reason Seolhyun became a racer, the reason Jimin had her leg up in mechanics. 

Seolhyun, is (was?) Choa’s best friend, her number one rival; she was inspired to new heights by Seolhyun and Seolhyun was inspired by Nishikawa. 

_”Unni”, Seolhyun whispers to Choa._  
_“Yeah?” Choa turned her head, ignoring the stars in favour of meeting Seolhyun’s eyes._  
_“Do you think he’d be proud of me?” Seolhyun asks quietly._

Undoubtedly, Choa thinks, absentmindedly rolling the beer bottle in her hands, the answer is yes. Nishikawa dotes on Seolhyun, as much as she idolises him. And everywhere she goes, Choa sees Nishikawa, hears Nishikawa. Everyone loves him. Choa despairs. 

He’s offering encouraging words to Mina, running engine tests with Jimin. They appreciate that he can stand back and let them work, instead of trying to take over like so many before him. (Jimin won’t let any outsider touch her engines, but she lets him.) And, Choa guesses, he’s part of the team now, moreso, she thinks, than her. Because how can she compete with a ghost, especially one who’s living, breathing, and back? 

Nishikawa’s experience has been invaluable for Chan Mi and Hyejeong. They did their best for Team Ace, but they didn’t have the monitoring or strategising experience of other teams… Ace had been going up against the giants for a long time, and Chan Mi and Hyejeong improved in leaps and bounds… but they were ecstatic to have such a mentor. He was unstinting and patient in his explanations, offering real examples and insight he’d gained from his years and Team Revolution. 

Then with the drivers… Yuna had always been resigned- she was their third, always had been so when Nishikawa focused on coaching Seolhyun, she didn’t really care, nor expect any different. Yuna was their backup, and was quite content in that role. But Choa… Choa was the one who spent years proving herself to every eye on and off the track. Choa was the one who grudgingly went down on bended knee and begged Seolhyun to let her join Ace. Choa was the one who grew to match Seolhyun so she had nearly 50/50 chances of winning against her. 

Choa was the one who laughed when Seolhyun had engine grease on her nose. The one who wrapped her arms around Seolhyun’s waist when dickhead drivers wouldn’t take no for an answer. The other half of the ‘twins’ who grinned when they were about to leave some douchebag in the dust. She was the one who was too busy weaving her wheels around, in front and behind Seolhyun, while Yuna trawled the competitors. She was the one who met Seolhyun’s eyes through their windows as the flag went down and they burnt rubber together. 

But, Choa grins rather ruefully, not for the first time, it it’s her being left in the dust. 

The worst thing about Nishikawa, Choa thinks, is that he’s damn nice. He’s helpful. He doesn’t try to explain things they already know to them, he doesn’t act superior, though his knowledge and skills clearly are. He’s patient. He doesn’t judge their skimpy outfits, agreeing any fair advantage for the team was a win. He doesn’t judge the nights Yuna goes out and comes back with a different driver every time, or more than one. 

He doesn’t try and change their identity from a purely (almost purely now) feminine team. He supports them to make their own decisions. Choa can’t even complain about him properly, because while their team is often nicknamed ‘Street Angels’, he’s the one who’s acting like some perfect being. It’s frustrating.

What’s also frustrating is Seolhyun benefiting from his personal attention, advancing in leaps and bounds while Choa stagnates. What’s frustrating is sitting after the race, desperately trying to pinpoint what went wrong. What’s frustrating is this somehow quietly implied understanding that instead of predicting two entrants for each race, now Seolhyun’s their one. What’s frustrating is Choa is failing, and she doesn’t know how to stop. She’s lost races before, all of them have. But it’d always felt like the team lost together- this time it’s Choa losing, alone. She doesn’t like it at all. 

She turns back to them at the sound of laughter, Yuna clinking her beer against Nishikawa’s before flouncing off upstairs, Jimin and Mina eagerly approaching as Nishikawa turns to face them and listen with a grin and a joke. Hyejeong, across from her in the garage, notices her gaze and gives a wave. Once upon a time, Seolhyun would be talking to Choa, sharing a wish, a fear, a promise, but now she’s focused entirely on him, as if he’ll disappear again the minute she takes her eyes off him. 

Choa is not stupid- she’s lost this race, and considering her opponent is Nishikawa, she’s unlikely to win. The only question now is, if she can’t, how long is she willing to stick around?

She sighs quietly, swigs her beer, and looks out into the night. 

_Seolhyun, don’t leave me alone anymore._

**Author's Note:**

> Is anyone interested in more? I may be inspired enough to make a series!


End file.
